New York|De Blasio Seeks Strength on M.T.A. Board Amid Challenges on Subway System

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De Blasio Seeks Strength on M.T.A. Board Amid Challenges on Subway System

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Transit advocates at a press conference in January included John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance, left, Veronica Vanterpool, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and Gene Russianoff, the longtime leader of the Straphangers Campaign.CreditCreditNicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

When trains are late or subway fares increase, many New Yorkers reflexively blame the mayor. But the agency that runs the city subway system is controlled by the state, often leaving the city dependent on the whims of the governor.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has a voice on the transportation agency’s board, but that voice has been largely muted over the last year, a situation that may reflect his strained relationship with leaders in Albany.

While the mayor has four seats to fill on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board, he currently has only one representative: Polly Trottenberg, the city’s transportation commissioner. Mr. de Blasio recommended three others for the 23-member board last year, but the State Senate did not approve them before the legislative session ended. Transit advocates are concerned that those nominees will again not be confirmed before the session ends next week.

The mayor’s three nominees are “exceedingly qualified” and must be approved in the session’s final days, Natalie Grybauskas, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said.

Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, recommended David R. Jones, the president of the Community Service Society; Ydanis Rodriguez, a City Council member; and Veronica Vanterpool, the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, to serve on the board.

“Every day they are not confirmed is another day the city’s voice is silenced in decision-making that will affect our residents for years to come,” Ms. Grybauskas said in a statement.

Mr. de Blasio has continued to quarrel this year with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Senate leaders over perceived political slights as well as legislative issues, prompting concerns that his board nominations are not a priority.

“I don’t know whether it’s vindictiveness or inattention, but either way the result is the same, which is the city is underrepresented on the M.T.A. Board,” said John Raskin, the executive director of the Riders Alliance, a rider advocacy group. “There is no good public policy reason to sit on these nominations.”

The authority said that the governor had sent the mayor’s recommendations to the Senate for confirmation on Tuesday. The Senate confirmed on Wednesday that it had received the names. Mr. Cuomo also submitted two board appointments of his own and another for a union leader.

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Polly Trottenberg, New York City’s transportation commissioner.CreditChristian Hansen for The New York Times

“The mayor’s picks were submitted to the Senate at the same time as the governor’s picks — all in time to be considered by the Senate at the end of the session, when these board nominations are traditionally considered,” James Allen, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement.

Last June, the Republican-led Senate confirmed the authority’s chairman, Thomas F. Prendergast, for a six-year term, and Lawrence S. Schwartz, a former top aide to Mr. Cuomo, to serve on its board. A spokesman for Senate Republicans, Scott Reif, said leaders were doing their “due diligence” to examine the mayor’s nominees.

This week, Mr. Reif said politics was not a factor, and the Senate would review the nominations.

“We consider all nominations on the merits, at the appropriate time,” Mr. Reif said.

Officials at the authority are working to reduce subway delays and must decide how long to close the L tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan to repair flood damage from Hurricane Sandy. Later this year, the board is expected to discuss fare increases for 2017.

“I’m trying to do my best to represent the administration, but there are a lot of complicated matters in front of the M.T.A.,” Ms. Trottenberg said in an interview.

The governor names six representatives to the authority’s board, including the chairman. The executives of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties each recommend one member, while the members that represent Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland Counties share one vote.

Several nonvoting board members represent riders and labor unions.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, has appointed Peter Ward, the president of the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, and Charles Phillips, the chief executive of Infor, a Manhattan software company. They must receive Senate approval. The Transport Workers Union Local 100 recommended its president, John Samuelsen, as a nonvoting member.

Fernando Ferrer, the board’s vice-chairman and the former Bronx borough president, said he hoped the city would soon have its full complement of board representatives. Though Mr. Ferrer was nominated by the governor, he said he has kept the city’s interests in mind.

“I hasten to remind you that I live in New York City, and I ride the system every day,” he said. “I think I look out for the city as well.”

In recent months, Mr. Jones and other advocates have pushed for reduced fares for low-income riders. Fares were too high for those who are unemployed or struggling to get by, Mr. Jones said, though he was unsure he would be able to join the board soon enough to take up the cause.

“I have no illusions about how tense things can get between politicians,” Mr. Jones said. “It’s not like I’m waiting with bated breath.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: De Blasio Pushes for M.T.A. Picks Before Session Ends. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe